The use of parachutes has become increasingly more common. Today there are uses for the parachute other than military ones as sky diving and other non-military uses have multiplied. With proper training and adequate safety equipment, parachuting can be a relative safe avocation. However, there are still many dangers associated with parachuting from an airplane.
For example, a parachutist jumping in a strong wind can be dragged along the ground by his parachute and be unable to release it from his harness. At such time, the buckle or other mechanism which attaches the parachute riser to his harness must release the parachute riser with no possibility of snags and non-positive disengagement from the buckle.
When a parachutist accidentally jumps into water, his problems are compounded. He still has the same problems during a strong wind, and he can actually be pulled along the water and be unable to free himself. In a calm wind, the parachute has a tendency to drop directly on the jumper so that he will get tangled in the lines and in the chute itself. The trained jumper will often times try to release his parachute above the surface of the water so that he will actually be freely falling the last 25 to 30 feet without the parachute. Unfortunately, this last method has many drawbacks because it is very difficult to gauge the distance to the surface of the water when the jumper is directly over it. Refraction and reflections from the bottom often confuse the jumper and jumpers have been known to have released their chutes hundreds of feet above the water's surface. A jumper often would release the parachute riser prior to reaching the water because he also could not be sure that the buckle connecting the riser would quickly release the riser as certain prior art buckles did not have a definite unlatched position to indicate that the parachutist was properly releasing the parachute riser.
Another problem associated with parachute riser buckles is to prevent accidental unlatching of the buckle. Obviously, it is imperative that the buckle not release the riser except when the parachutist intends such release. Improper latching of the buckle with the riser must be avoided as such improper latching could cause unexpected release of the riser. Without protection from improper latching, the parachutist could put on the parachute and incorrectly connect the riser to his harness and not notice such error. Then when stresses are applied to the buckle and the riser, such as during deployment of the parachute, the riser might pull away from the buckle. These riser buckles are intended to be used frequently, and it is desirable that the parts upon which any strain is applied be constructed in such a way to minimize the rise of breakage and wear to provide a reliable and long lasting buckle.